Roger Federer: 'I Should Have Done Better on His Second Serve' (AUDIO) - UBITENNIS

Roger Federer: ‘I Should Have Done Better on His Second Serve’ (AUDIO)

Roger Federer meets with the media after losing the last act of the ATP World Tour Finals to Novak Djokovic in straight sets. It is the 5th final the Swiss has lost to Serb this year, after falling in the grand finale in both Wimbledon and the US Open, and in Indian Wells, Rome and now London. The Swiss will close the year as World No.3, behind Andy Murray.

By Ivan Pasquariello
5 Min Read
Swiss tennis player Roger Federer gestures during a press conference ahead of the ATP World Tour Finals tournament at the O2 Arena in London, Friday, Nov. 13, 2015. The finals start at November 15, and last until November 22, 2015. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) ORG XMIT: FAS104

https://soundcloud.com/ubitennis/federer-i-should-have-served-better-and-played-better-on-his-second-serve

Roger Federer will close the 2015 season as World No.3 behind Andy Murray after losing the final of the ATP World Tour Finals to Novak Djokovic in straight sets in London.

Speaking to the media, Roger can’t hide his disappointment.

“It would have been nice to serve better in the first part of the match and play better on his second serve. Sometimes I tried too hard on his second serve, other times I waited too long. Those are the regrets I have, after that it was a good match, very close. He played well, and the quality of the match overall was quite high.”

Considering how Djokovic will most likely be in the final, will Roger work specifically on how to beat the Serb during the off season?

“Not really, I feel like I need to work on my overall game. Rafa is a unique player in the field, so I did have to prepare differently to approach matches against him. With Novak whereas is more straightforward. If you don’t play very well, you will have a hard time. If you are going to play better, I know I have my chances with my game against him”

Roger shares his take on the Davis Cup final.

“I think England are the favourites, because they have Andy in the team. Doubles can always be crucial. I really like Goffin, he has a great attitude and I feel like he can handle pressure. I see England favourite, sorry Britain (smiles)”.

Will the Rio Olympics be high in the next year priorities?

“Yes, but not my top priority. Right now the main goal is the Australian Open which is right around the corner. There are some events that I look forward to play, like the Gerry Weber Open. I look forward to defend my title there and at the other tournaments I won”.

Nadal explained how it will be hard for Djokovic to keep the level up for so many years in a row.

It’s hard to play at this pace all the time. You know, we are talking about margins. If you do not win a break point, he does, but if it goes vice versa it can change the whole outcome of the match. You cannot always be on the winning side, the margins are small at the very top of the game. Rafa and I both know how hard it is to back it up every year. Is going to be hard to achieve what you have done after a year like that. You can’t just repeat easily another year like this. Mentally you must be at your peak all the time. You have to be in shape physically with no injuries.”

“I am going to keep pushing forward. I am going to rest and recover now, enjoy my family. Then the routines, I enjoy the gym as well. To focus only on some players, like Novak, would be the wrong approach. After all this year I lost to Seppi at the Australian Open, which was tough for me.”

How does the schedule of the Swiss change with the Rio Olympics, considering how he will play in Stuttgart and will have two tournaments on grass right after the French Open?

“I thought about it, but I think at 34 I know what I am doing, even though I don’t like to mention my age. I have my plan that has been set for the year. I was in the mood to play more on grass and if I feel that way I should go with it. We will see what I will do exactly at Rio, but as I said that is not a priority for me.”

Finally Roger made sure his fans know how much he appreciates the incredible support he receives at every tournament he goes. “They are definitively one of the big reasons I still am playing today. I am disappointed I couldn’t win for those who came to support me”.

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